In comments first reported by The Des Moines Register, the Texas governor addressed the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, and when the moderator thanked him after his speech, Perry reportedly said: “You’re welcome. I’m awesome!”

The report said that Perry was “charged up” at the event, where he mingled with visitors and sampled some of the featured foods, including country-fried bacon.

At one point, the Republican governor met a 10-year-old girl and continued to shake her hand as he spoke with her parents.

The governor also joked about his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, when he flamed-out early after some gaffes and poor debate performances. When one reporter said that Perry seems to be approaching a potential 2016 bid differently than he did in 2012, he responded with a smile and said: “Ya think?”

Perry told the Iowa newspaper that he would be in Iowa — the first stop in the presidential nominating campaign — again before the November elections, but that he would take a break after the midterms. During his time in the state, the governor has been campaigning for Iowa Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst, who is locked in a close battle with Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley.